[Achards de Legumes] Pickled vegetables in Mauritius style

Vegetable pickles are something I cannot refuse.

It stimulates my sense and my dinner table.

I like trying all kinds of pickles and enjoy making new pickles.

Achards is vegetable pickles that are (culinary) specialties of Creoles.

It is said that Portuguese sailors to preserve food, the recipe has spread throughout the Indian Ocean and even the Pacific.
 

 

It is made with small pieces of vegetables such as green beans, carrot, cabbage, and cauliflower.

 

Interestingly, I first tasted this delicious pickles during sailing excursion in Cancale.

See our Balades gourmandes posting here~

We had achards on top of bread and also with smoked mackerel.

Both of them were oh, so good.

 

I could have finished a jar of achards by myself. But, as I am a civilized human being, I resisted my temptation. :)

At that point, I was decided to make my own achards.

And as you might guess, I did!

Here goes the recipe:

(adapted from Recipes from Mauritius)

I put more cauliflower and less carrots.

It's up to your taste (or availability :))

Ingredients:
3-4 cups finely sliced cabbage,
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks,
7 oz (or 200 g) green beans

1/2 medium cauliflower
1-2 tablespoons black mustard seeds,
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon turmeric powder,
(* I used the Vertus powder of which ingredients are turmeric, pepper, salt and spices~. This is a specialty spice from the famous spice shop, Epices Reollinger, of Cancale)
10 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 large onion finely chopped,
3 tablespoons white vinegar,
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare vegetables. Cut cauliflower in small pieces, and slice green beans finely lengthwise.

This is the hardest part.

I used already julienned carrots.

2. blanch vegetables in boiling salted water until slightly cooked but still crisp.

3. Remove from water, drain and allow to dry out.

4. Blend mustard seeds, turmeric powder with garlic and a little water, to make a paste.

5. Heat oil, fry onion until transparent.

6. Add the mustard/garlic/turmeric paste and some salt. Stir fry for one minute until cooked.

7. Add vegetables, mix well until well coated. Remove from heat.

8. Allow to cool and stir in the vinegar.

9. Place in dry jars and store in refrigerator.

Enjoy as an appetiser

or on a slice of bread, or in white bread rolls.

You don't need to wait for a few days, after you make it.

As soon as it's cooled, you can enjoy these delicious pickles!

Enjoy!

Achards de légumes